Clinical Trials at the Shaw Regional Cancer Center

While receiving treatment at The Shaw Cancer Center, you may have the opportunity to participate in our clinical trials program, which is conducted in cooperation with the University of Colorado. Clinical trials are the studies from which our professionals learn new ways to improve health and cancer care, and are important components of the cancer research process.  Our Colorado center for cancer research and treatment is able to remain on the cutting-edge of cancer research by actively performing in-depth clinical trails. 

Click here for a look at the clinical trials that are currently available at the Shaw Cancer Center.

Some facts about clinical trials:

Clinical trials follow strict scientific guidelines to provide scientifically sound results, and to ensure the safety of all participants. Every trial has a specific action plan known as a ‘protocol’. Each protocol typically includes the following components:

• Rationale for the study
• Objectives of the study
• Number of participants to be included
• Specific eligibility criteria
• Intervention/Treatment being studied
• Duration and schedule of the trial
• Possible side effects
• Required medical tests and follow-ups
  

Endpoints of the study

There are many safeguards in place to ensure the protection of clinical trial participants, including Federal oversight by the Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Institutional Review Board (IRB).  In addition, these agencies provide approval and monitoring, and the informed consent process to ensure that all participants will be informed, in a language they can understand, of their rights and responsibilities, and what they can expect for the duration of the trial.

Before any drug is tested on humans in a clinical trial, it must undergo rigorous laboratory and animal testing. The FDA uses the results from these tests to determine whether a drug is safe, and projected to be effective to in human clinical trials.

For more information about clinical trials, try these resources:

• “Facts and Figures About Cancer Clinical Trials” provides basic information about clinical trials from the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
• An overview of the drug approval process can be found at the FDA web site or by calling 1-888-INFO-FDA.
• For the history of participant protection, the role of the IRB, or info about patient confidentiality please visit the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
• The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is a good place for general information about cancer.  Visit their web site or call them at 1-800-4-CANCER.
• For more information about specific clinical trials please visit the US National Institutes of Health (NIH).